Sonora

Sonora, a frontier state in the north-west of Mexico, on the Gulf of California. It is the second largest in the republic. Area, 77,526 sq. m.; pop. (1888) 105,391. The coast is flat and sandy, the interior filled with wooded mountains and fertile valleys. Malaria is mostly confined to one part of the coast. Here the climate is hot, but in the mountains there is frost for five months in the year. The chief rivers are the Sonora, Yaqui, and Mayo. The principal wealth of the state is in its minerals, especially gold, silver, mercury, and iron. Agriculture, wine-growing, and cattle-rearing are also successful, and cottons, hats, shoes, and soap are manufactured. Capital, Hermosillo; chief port, Guaymas.